


reality is merely an illusion

by Asterhythm



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Barista Choi Soobin, Established Relationship, Kang Taehyun Liked It So He Put A Ring On It, M/M, Magic Tricks, Middleford University, Part of the AsteRealm, Professor Kang Taehyun, Rewrite, Rewrite of another author's work, Saint Arbucks, Slice of Life, Snow, Snow Day, Snowball Fight, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-14 01:26:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28538067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asterhythm/pseuds/Asterhythm
Summary: In which Kang Taehyun is THE most popular professor on campus, and Choi Soobin is his boyfriend, and they turn a snow day into an all-day date with a perfect ending.
Relationships: Choi Soobin/Kang Taehyun
Comments: 7
Kudos: 35





	reality is merely an illusion

**Author's Note:**

> So this fic has a bit of an interesting genesis.
> 
> I have a good handful of writers on Wattpad that I end up mentoring through their writing careers -- they're my Wattpad kids. I strictly have a mentorship relationship with them, but we're lightly friends. One of them in particular was writing a BUNCH of one-shots, and got a request for a fic she eventually called 'Magic Trick.' It was my favorite of my works by her, and I let her know what I liked about it and where she could improve. Then Crackpad deleted her one-shot book, and because the fic was not backed up, it was lost forever. 
> 
> (This is your general reminder to ALWAYS BACK YOUR SHIT UP.)
> 
> I wanted to find some way to preserve the general plot of the oneshot, and so I wrote my own version. I gave it to my author friend for Christmas, and she gave her blessing for it to be on AO3 so you can all enjoy it. I hope you enjoy it.

_ reality is merely an illusion  
Genre: Oneshot  
Word Count: 5230  
Band: TXT  
Ship: Taebin  
Written: December 8, 2020 - January 3, 2021  
Spice Alert: Medium  
For: TatorTotTati _

_ "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." -- Albert Einstein _

This was starting off as the worst day of Choi Soobin’s life. 

Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration, but it wasn’t too far off the mark. His alarm hadn’t gone off at six A.M. like it was supposed to, which meant he was now waking up at seven forty-five instead. When he had left the bedroom, he had noticed that Hobak had gotten into the plants again and had knocked one over. There wasn’t much damage, and Soobin had put the plant back together and sat it upright, but he knew he would need a higher ledge to keep Hobak from considering his plants as playtoys. Then, when Soobin had gone to open the fridge for breakfast, there was no more milk and only one egg left. 

And then there was the matter of loneliness: because Soobin had slept in, he had missed saying goodbye to his boyfriend before he left for his job. 

Kang Taehyun -- known to so many in Middleford as Dr. Kang -- was one of the most charismatic professors on Middleford University’s campus. Because of this, his classes were so hard to get into, and he ended up having to teach several subsections of his classes to admit all the students needed. General education requirements meant that every student had to take at least one social science class, and Dr. Kang’s Psychology 101 was at the top of everyone’s list. 

This meant that Dr. Kang was on Middleford’s campus from 8 AM until 8 PM most days. And if Soobin didn’t catch him in the morning, then he wouldn’t see him again until later that night. Especially when it was this close to the end of the semester, Soobin knew that he would be busy, making sure all of his students were prepared for finals week. 

To the world, he was Dr. Kang. To Soobin, he was just Taehyun. 

He went to grab his red work apron when he heard the front door to their townhouse open again. Then, in stepped Taehyun, with a bunch of grocery bags. He had his huge black coat on, and the top of his hat was covered in snowflakes. “Oh, there you are! I was expecting you to still be asleep!”

Soobin’s heart leapt at the sight of his boyfriend. He put his apron aside and grabbed one of the bags from Taehyun. “I thought you went to school!”

Taehyun shook some of the snow off of his head, then pulled his hat off, exposing  _ very  _ messy brown hair underneath. “Well, it’s a long story, but perhaps you should go look out the window. Go, go!”

Soobin ran over to the window; despite Hobak’s insistence at batting at his houseplants, he hadn’t gotten a good enough look outside yet. When he checks, the entire area out front is covered in a thin blanket of snow, and it is still coming down. “Wow! Okay, that wasn’t there last night.”

“Roads are fine, in case you’re wondering. It’s how I’ve already been to the grocery and back.” Taehyun sat the rest of the bags on the counter, then removed his coat, hanging it from the hook nearby. He looked  _ so handsome  _ in his blue sweater and dressed up blue jeans, with Converse sneakers to boot. Soobin knew now that Taehyun wasn’t going to class today.

“What about your class?”

“I woke up and saw it was snowing outside, and I decided everybody needed a break today. So I emailed my morning section and I told them to take today off.”

“But you typically have class at eight, ten,  _ and  _ noon today!”

“Pish posh. Those kids only have college once. I told them all to go out into Prager Field and have a snowball fight. If they’re really concerned about things, I told them to stop by my night class tonight.” Because Taehyun’s psychology classes are so in high demand, he also teaches class at night. This way, off campus and nontraditional students, as well as those not seeking a degree, can come take his class after they’ve worked their 9-to-5.

“So you just have the night section to teach.”

“Yeah, and I’m not gonna miss that.” Taehyun began putting the groceries away. “So...I figured we could just have a snow day, all to ourselves.”

“But I have work --”

“I have already called Isabel, and she said you can have the day off. So all we have to do is night class tonight, and I figured before that we could walk uptown for lunch. Is that okay, or do you want me to drive?”

And Soobin smiled, big and wide. He had been looking forward to the winter break and time spent alone with his beau, but an extra day? He wasn’t going to say no to that! “That’s more than okay. I’m fine with walking through the snow, especially if I’m with you. So...where do we start?”

Taehyun held up a new carton of eggs. “Breakfast?”

They made breakfast together, then shared what they could with Hobak, who was  _ very  _ interested in their food. After breakfast, Taehyun cleaned up the kitchen while Soobin changed his clothes; he had been dressed for work, but he didn’t need black dress pants if today was a snow day!

“You should wear your sweater,” Taehyun called into the room.

“Which one?”

“The  _ only  _ sweater, babe. The pink one I bought for you.”

“Oh, that one.” Soobin found it and tossed it on. It was a baby pink, with silver glitter thread woven into the fabric. It seemed like such a silly thing, but Soobin had seen it in a window, and that had been that. Taehyun had bought it for him on the spot. He slipped on a pair of jeans and came out of the room, spinning and modeling for Taehyun.

“How do I look?”

Taehyun licked his lips. “If I hadn’t just eaten breakfast, I would be eating you all up.”

“Oh, you stop.”

“No, you stop being so attractive. Oh, wait, that’s literally impossible.” Taehyun closed the gap between them, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend’s waist. “Hold up, I think there’s just a little bit more room in my stomach…” He leaned forward and nibbled on Soobin’s cheek, Soobin laughing in response. “Ngap!”

“Hey! I am not a snack!”

“Yes you are,” Taehyun said, his voice increasing in pitch. “Look how cute you are.”

Soobin couldn’t take it anymore; he reached down and grabbed his boyfriend’s ass, squeezing  _ hard.  _ “And what of you —“

“You know better than to do that!” Taehyun yelled, probably loud enough for the neighbors to hear, definitely loud enough for Hobak to hide under the coffee table. And he chased Soobin through the hall, to the bedroom, pushing him onto the bed and tackling him. He pulled his arms around Soobin’s waist, attacking it. “Tickle fight! Tickle fight!”

“No —  _ not a tickle fight!!”  _ If there was anything Soobin was guaranteed to lose, it was a tickle fight. 

“Okay, okay, I’ll stop.” Taehyun pinned Soobin to the bed, staring down at him. In any other situation, this could turn scandalous, but there’s too big of a grin on Taehyun’s face. “Besides. I’m sure you’ll get me back when we’re outside.”

Soobin was confused. “Outside?”

They both bundled up, Taehyun slipping his coat on and Soobin grabbing his hooded jacket. Taehyun also took his briefcase with him, for some odd reason. When they exited their townhouse, the snowfall accumulation had increased by an inch, and the flakes were fat and sticking together before they even reached the ground. It was the perfect kind of snow for a snow day. 

“I was planning on us walking,” Taehyun said. “Are you still up for it?”

“With you? In this weather?” Soobin linked his arm with Taehyun’s. “It sounds so romantic.”

“Let’s see if you’re still saying that five minutes from now.”

“What’s that —“ Soobin found himself unable to speak. Taehyun had made a snowball and had thrown it at him, smacking him right in the head. “You!”

Taehyun giggled and ran off, Soobin chasing him down, making more snowballs on the way and throwing them at him. Two thirtysomethings were suddenly eight years old again, during the first snowfall of the year, running outside and playing in the fluffy snow. Soobin eventually caught up to Taehyun, grabbing him by the shoulders and pulling him down into the snow.

“How’s that, Professor Kang? Huh? Huh?”

“You let go of me, or I will lock you outside when we get home!”

“Uh, hello, Dr. Kang.”

“Oh.” Soobin realized someone was approaching them, a man and a woman who looked about the age of Middleford undergraduate students. He pulled Taehyun up, and Taehyun dusted himself off. 

“Oh, good morning, Kai! And Yeji, good to see you too!” Kai was a psychology major at Middleford, so Dr. Kang was one of his main professors. Kai had even chosen him to be an advisor for his undergraduate thesis. Yeji was his “best girl friend,” a dance major, who at Kai’s request was taking Dr. Kang’s Psychology 101 this semester. 

“Good morning! You live near here? I didn’t know that. We’re not too far away. Fancy running into you here.” Kai’s eyes looked over at Soobin. “Oh, is this your boyfriend that you’re always talking about?”

Taehyun somehow found himself blushing in front of one of his students. “I — I suppose that would be him.” He held his breath; his students knew him well, but hardly any of them had ever met Soobin. 

“Wow, it’s so nice to meet you! Dr. Kang talks about you all the time, but he never gives a name.”

“That’s because I don’t always like being the center of attention.” Soobin shook Kai’s hand, then Yeji’s. “I’m Soobin. Nice to meet both of you.”

“So you don’t like the attention being on you?” Yeji asked. 

“Not really, not at all. I’d rather help in the background and have everybody look at  _ him.”  _ With that, Soobin pushed more snow into Taehyun’s face.

“Oh, I will cut you!” Taehyun yelled, shoving Soobin away. Typically, he would be much more straight laced, but with Kai and Yeji in front of him, Taehyun understood that they would forgive him for being a little silly. “So what are you two up to?”

“We just stopped by the grocery to buy more beer, and then we’re gonna figure out if we’re coming to your night class or not.”

“The Red Line should still be running. It only shuts down during a level 2 snow emergency, and this is far from that.”

“Perfect!” Yeji turned toward Soobin. “Are you gonna come to Dr. Kang’s class?”

“You should come.” Taehyun smiled at Soobin. “When was the last time you came to one of my classes?”

“A few years ago, when you needed a mock class for the job —“ Soobin realized that Taehyun had already made the decision for him.  _ So that was why Taehyun had brought his briefcase with him!  _ “I’m going anyway, aren’t I.”

“I mean, if you hate it, you can hide in my office until we’re done. But you know how I’ve been staying late for what the kids are calling ‘bonus class?’”

“Oh, yeah, I remember that.” Once a week, after Dr. Kang’s night class, he stays in the building for an hour after. He continues to talk about trends in psychology and articles he had read while teaching the students something completely different: magic tricks and sleight of hand illusions. Before he had dedicated himself to his studies, Taehyun had wanted to be a magician as a kid, and he knew  _ all  _ of the best tricks. When he had taught his first lectures, he had unknowingly been playing with a pencil and had made it disappear, then reappear, on the regular. The students picked up and asked him to show more tricks. It grew until he pulled the tricks from normal class, citing them as a distraction, and invited any of his students to come on Friday nights for “bonus class.” Any student that stopped by would not only learn about modern day psychology and see magic tricks, but they would also earn five points of extra credit.

“It’s the last class of the semester,” Yeji said. “So some of the students are going to show their own magic tricks, and both I and Kai have prepared something!”

“Wow,” Soobin said. “That might actually be fun. Yeah, I think I should do that. If you all don’t mind, of course. I think I’ll just sit in the back and not be the center of attention.”

Taehyun leaned over and kissed Soobin’s cheek. “I am fine with that.”

“Aww,” both Yeji and Kai said.

“Now, you two get going,” Taehyun said. “That beer will stay cold, but it won’t get drunk until you get home!”

“It’s for my boyfriend!” Kai insisted, but Taehyun knew he was probably lying.

“They seem like good kids,” Soobin said as they walked together, past the grocery, across the railroad tracks, over to Main Street. Middleford was a small city, mostly made up of university students. It had everything that students would need: bookstores, general shops, a huge grocery, and lots and  _ lots  _ of bars. 

“Wait, why are we stopping here?” Soobin asked as they stopped in front of Saint Arbucks. “This is my work! You said I wasn’t working today!”

“You’re not working today,” Taehyun said with a laugh. “I want caramel. Hey, Isabel!”

“Good morning, Dr. Kang!” Isabel called out from behind the ordering station. Saint Arbucks was a massive chain of coffee shops, and there was one in every town of notable size. Soobin had worked here ever since he himself had graduated from Middleford, several years ago. He enjoyed the job, enjoyed making drinks and making students smile, talking to each one in his own quiet way, learning all the regulars and their drinks. Isabel was the store manager, and she ran the entire shop like clockwork. “And hello, Soobin!”

“Oh, he  _ did  _ show up!” Carissa said from behind the bar. “We thought you died in a snowbank.”

“We did  _ not,”  _ Isabel said as she quickly made two orders. “One hot chocolate and one toasted caramel frappe, and for godsakes, Dr. Kang, do you want that iced or hot?”

“Iced,” Taehyun said with a grin. 

“You are crazy,” Soobin said.

“Sometimes I like suffering. Especially in the name of caramel.” Taehyun handed Isabel his card, but she put her hands up. “What?”

“On the house today. It’s a snow day. Enjoy your drinks.” And Carissa whipped them up faster than Soobin could complain, and soon they were heading to their normal corner. 

Soobin and Taehyun had met at this very Saint Arbucks, three years ago. Soobin had just been promoted to head barista, and the new Dr. Kang had just started teaching at Middleford. He had shown up at Saint Arbucks at six in the morning for a caramel frappe, and Soobin had been so gobsmacked at how beautiful this new person was that he had put vanilla syrup in the drink instead of caramel. Then, when he had handed Dr. Kang the drink — writing  _ Dr. Kang  _ on it, as he had stated — Taehyun had been so flustered that he had tripped on his own feet and spilled the entire drink on himself. 

Soobin had helped him clean up the mess, towel drying his sweater and sport coat while Taehyun waited in his dress shirt. Then, he had made drinks for both of them, and he had sat across from Taehyun in the booth in the back, getting to know him as well. What had started as just Soobin being genuinely curious about a possible new regular blossomed into something more. In fact, when Taehyun had asked Soobin to be his boyfriend, he had done so by stopping by Saint Arbucks, and placing an order for a caramel frappe for the name “willyoubemyboyfriend?” And the entire cafe had cheered when Soobin,  _ very  _ embarrassed, had said yes. 

Soobin hated the attention being on him. But if Taehyun was in front of him, it wasn’t so bad. 

They sat in the corner booth, Soobin on the far side and Taehyun on the near side, their usual. In fact, it was so usual that when Taehyun and Soobin had started dating, Isabel had taken their picture and framed it, hanging it in the booth next to Middleford’s soccer team accomplishments and a couple of famous peoples’ signatures. 

“I’m thinking lunch at the Whish Bar,” Taehyun said in between sips. “Then we can go to my office, stay warm until night class.”

“Wouldn’t we eat before night class?”

Taehyun holds up his finger, then puts his frappe down. “Takeout afterward. Borahae.”

“You really are thinking of everything for today,” Soobin said, so impressed with his boyfriend’s work. Borahae was the Korean joint in town.

“Well. It’s so rarely that I get you all to myself for a day.” Taehyun smirked at Soobin. “So I wanted to maximize that time together. Tomorrow, I have prep for exams, and you have work. Let yourself be mine for today.”

“I’m always yours.”

“I know, but, like...more  _ time,  _ Soobinie.”

He laughed. “Oh, I get what you mean.”

They finished, then stopped by the Whish Bar, a local joint that students called “Chipotle for Salads.” Each person got a salad base and could add whatever they wanted on top of it. Taehyun and Soobin mixed their salads and sat, eating all they could and saving the rest for later. Then, they walked further down Main Street to the Beta Lambda Upsilon gates. 

Middleford University, with its brick buildings, was picturesque at all times of the year. But it especially looked beautiful right now, covered with a thick blanket of snow. Soobin and Taehyun walked hand in hand through the gates that marked the start of campus, walking down the sidewalk path that had already been shoveled. It was a short walk to Chase Hall, the social sciences building. It was an unassuming old building with a brand new lecture hall built on the side; this lecture hall was where Dr. Kang usually taught his classes. 

Taehyun opened the door for Soobin, and they dusted off their shoes before walking down the hall and up two flights of stairs. There was only one other person in the hall. “Dr. Kim,” Taehyun said with a nod as he walked down the hall. Dr. Kim was a well respected faculty member and head of the social sciences department. With an IQ of 148, Dr. Kim had been a prodigy since he was very young, and had traveled all the way from Korea to be on the board at Middleford.

“Dr. Kang. So nice to see you. I assume you’re teaching your night class tonight?”

“That I am.”

“Good luck. I’ve heard many students have prepared something.”

“Yeah, the trick is organizing them all,” Taehyun said with a laugh.

Dr. Kim raised an eyebrow at Soobin. “Do you have a guest with you on campus today?”

Taehyun blushed again. “Oh -- yeah, this is my boyfriend…”

Soobin reached for Dr. Kim’s hand, shaking it. “Soobin. Nice to meet you. Taehyun has said a lot about you.”

“Likewise.” There was a smile in Dr. Kim’s eyes that Soobin couldn’t place. “Glad to have you on campus.”

With that, Taehyun and Soobin walked down the hall to Taehyun’s office in room 304. Taehyun kept the space very neat and tidy, and there was hardly anything in there. There was a desk with a chair, a bookshelf that was impeccably tidy, and a couch where students could sit for office hours. Soobin took a seat on the couch, while Taehyun put his briefcase down and pulled his laptop out of it. They had three hours until his night session, and his bonus class was directly after that.

Taehyun was expecting to get lots of grading done during that time.

He hadn’t been anticipating a sudden make out session with his boyfriend.

“You’re going to have to let --  _ mmm  _ \-- to -- let me focus, Soobin!”

“Can’t,” Soobin said in between kisses, trapping Taehyun in his chair. “You’re just so adorable that I can’t handle it.”

“Didn’t you bring a book or anything?”

“Nope. I could read one of your stuffy psychology magazines...but I’d rather just kiss you.”

“Baby.” Taehyun got off of his chair, taking his laptop with him. “If I sit by you on the couch, you can cuddle me, but you have to let me at least get some of this grading done. Okay?”

Soobin pouted, but “Okay,” and they sat together, mostly in silence while Taehyun zoned in on his laptop. Before long, Soobin had fallen asleep on Taehyun’s shoulder. Taehyun smiled, then grabbed his phone and took a quick selfie of the two of them. This would be good to remember the day by. 

He woke Soobin up right before night class, then took him downstairs to the crowded night section. The lecture hall was filled up, and every student had a seat, books out, chatting among each other. Taehyun glanced around until he found an extra chair in the back, setting it up so Soobin could sit. Then, he walked to the front of the class, where there was a lecture podium and a projector screen. He plugged his laptop into the system, and a new PowerPoint presentation popped up on the projector.

“Good evening!” he called out to the class. “How many of you enjoyed your snow day today?” Several students raised their hands. “Good, I’m glad. I’m also glad to see so many of your faces tonight. Since we’re so close to finals, let’s work on some review.” And he dove right in, quickly covering the materials that would be on the final test, taking questions from students, and keeping everybody’s interest. Soobin watched in awe as Taehyun fully transformed into Dr. Kang, working his magic on everybody, keeping them all in sync. 

Taehyun was always special to him, but he was even more special when he was in his element.

“That’s all for tonight,” Taehyun said with a smile. “Stick around for bonus class! We start in 10 minutes, and tonight is when everybody is performing. But at the very least, stick around for my own tricks right at the beginning.” He ran to get a quick drink of water, then checked back in on Soobin as students wandered in and out of the classroom. “You doing okay?”

“Yeah,” Soobin said. 

“Chair comfortable?”

“Perfect.”

“Good.” Taehyun kissed Soobin on the head. “You are perfect.” And with that, he went back down to the front of the class. A new PowerPoint slideshow popped up, this time listing several names. Soobin could tell it was the list of students who had chosen to perform their magic tricks in front of everybody tonight. Normally they would use this bonus class period to practice, and there were a few who felt accomplished enough to perform. 

Taehyun changed the music to  _ Chariots of Fire,  _ and then he began. The first few tricks were simple, but as the song went on, Taehyun upped the level of intensity, showing off tricks that he hadn’t shown the kids before. Then, he pulled someone on stage -- Soobin recognized it as Yeji from earlier -- to assist with some Chinese linking rings. As a finale, he pulled out at least five juggling pins, turning in circles. “I would normally set these on fire, but I’m pretty sure I would be the one fired.” This got some laughs out of the crowd. When he was done, the entire hall clapped so loud that it almost hurt Soobin’s ears. 

But Soobin found himself grinning from ear to ear. He was glad he had come tonight.

“All right, Yeji, you’re up!” Taehyun called out, and Yeji took the stage with a deck of cards. She looked a bit nervous, but she got all of the moves right, and the class applauded. One by one, the students came to the front. Two girls named Maria and Mariah made another girl named Maykie disappear in a box. Another girl named Tatiana pulled so many things out of her hat that they littered all over the floor, scarves upon scarves upon scarves going everywhere. Each person got through their tricks in one piece -- including a man who was sawed in half -- and everybody had great fun.

Finally, Taehyun called the last person up. “All right, closing out our night, Kai Huening!” Everybody applauded as Kai walked to the front of the class. He looked as calm and collected as he had before, when Soobin had run into him in the snow. With a smile, Kai pulled out a long, thick red ribbon and a pink sheet of fabric. 

“I need two volunteers for this trick,” he said, and then his eyes landed on Soobin. “Oh, wait, Dr. Kang, can I borrow you and your boyfriend for this?”

Shocked gasps and giggles echoed out through the crowd. Soobin found himself wanting to hide. But then he looked down at Taehyun, and Taehyun had a smile on his face.  _ Do you want to?  _ he mouthed up to Soobin, and Soobin felt better. Soobin hated when the attention was all on him, but if Taehyun was there, it was okay. 

“Okay, okay,” he said with a blush still on his face, getting up from his chair and coming down the stairs. The kids in their seats cheered as Soobin walked down to the front of the class, where Kai and Taehyun were standing. He put his hand on Taehyun’s shoulder. “What’s he up to?”

“Not quite sure,” Taehyun said with a smile. 

“It’s actually best if I pick two people who really trust each other for this,” Kai explained. “And, well, you all know Dr. Kang has a boyfriend, but you’ve never met him until today! Say hi, Soobin!”

“Hi,” Soobin said in a  _ very  _ tiny voice, and the students clapped and cheered.

“Okay, okay, okay! I’m not mic’d, so you all need to stay quiet!” Kai yelled, and the din turned down. “All right, Dr. Kang, I’m gonna need you to step forward, and I need you to take Soobin’s hand.”

“I can do that.” Taehyun raised his left hand,  taking Soobin’s right hand in it. “This is pretty normal behavior for us.”

“See, this trick only works best with two people who really,  _ really  _ trust each other, because they’re going to be stuck holding hands for a minute.” Kai took the red ribbon that was in his hand and tied it, several times, around Taehyun and Soobin’s joined hands. “The purpose of this trick is to bond two people who love each other, even closer than they ever imagined. And I can guess that the two of you have been bonded for a very long time.”

“Three years, in fact,” Taehyun said with a smile. “We were just talking about that earlier today.”

“Oh, my God. Dr. Kang, can you tell us the story of how you met?”

“If Soobin doesn’t mind.” And Taehyun told the story of how they met at Saint Arbucks, three years ago, while Kai continued to tie the ribbon around their hands. Everybody was in awe, totally raptured by the story, and they clapped after Taehyun told his students how they had become boyfriends.

“And we’ve been living together for the past few months, since my lease was up,” Soobin noted, then shut his mouth. Perhaps Dr. Kang’s students didn’t need to know all of his dirty details.

Taehyun just laughed. 

“Now.” Kai put the pink sheet of cloth over Taehyun and Soobin’s hands, letting go of the ribbon he had secured. “We will see if the two of you are truly meant to be together. For, as it is said, the red string of fate connects two people who are soulmates. If you are meant to be, then this red string of fate will bring you an even greater love. And I will tap my magic wand three times and say,  _ masurisuri!”  _ Kai did so, and everybody in the audience was on the edge of their seat. 

“And...voila!” Kai pinched the pink sheet of fabric with his fingers and lifted it off of Taehyun and Soobin’s hands. The red ribbon was gone! It was nowhere to be seen!

“Wow,” Soobin said as the audience clapped. “I didn’t even feel the ribbon leave my hands.”

“Oh, dear,” Kai said, in mock surprise. “It seems that our red string of fate has disappeared!”

“I think I know where it is.” And Taehyun let go of Soobin’s hand, reaching behind his ear and pulling out the long, red ribbon with a bow on it. The crowd oohed and aahed, clapping some more as Taehyun displayed the ribbon for all to see.

“The red string of fate has returned!” Kai announced. “And now it will bring an even greater love to our dear professor and his boyfriend.”

Soobin laughed. “What are you gonna do, put it on my head?”

“Put your hand palm up,” Taehyun told Soobin, and Soobin did so. Taehyun wrapped the ribbon around Soobin’s palm once, then reached and tugged it off. In its place was a glittering, silver ring.

“Oh, wow,” Soobin said, in shock, and  _ then,  _ suddenly, he understood. The day off from work, the snowball fight, the cuddling in the office, the caramel where they had first met, coming to Taehyun’s bonus class -- it had all been leading up to this.

Taehyun held Soobin’s hand as he got down on one knee, and the class went  _ wild.  _ Kai held up his hands to get them to quiet down. Several students, who at this point hadn’t been recording, started doing so now.

“Soobin.” Taehyun smiled up at his boyfriend. “In this world, there are many things that are magic. I love teaching my students these illusions, but the only true magic in my life is you. I’m literally --” here his voice cracked -- “so glad we met at your work all those years ago. And Kai is right. I want for us to have an even greater bond, one that will stand the test of time. Choi Soobin, will you marry me?”

Soobin put his other hand to his mouth and nodded, tears streaming down his face. And the entire class started cheering, clapping and waving as Soobin helped Taehyun up onto his feet again. Taehyun helped slip the simple silver band onto Soobin’s ring finger, and then Soobin wrapped him up in a huge hug, holding him close.

“Three cheers for Dr. Kang and Soobin!” Kai reached over and said into the podium’s microphone. “And that concludes our performances for tonight! We’ll see you all next semester!”

“How did you…?” Soobin asked Taehyun, his voice a whisper among the shouts and cheers of the students.

“Magic,” Taehyun said with a laugh. “Stay with me? Forever?”

“Forever.” Soobin kissed the top of Taehyun’s head and held him close. He had a perfect life, with a job that liked him, a home that kept him warm, and his now fiancé in his arms. And he knew without a doubt: this was the best day of Choi Soobin’s life. 

**Author's Note:**

> twitter @ aster_rhythm


End file.
